'Domain' review: French film that exudes sex

MOVIE REVIEW

Published 4:00 am, Friday, February 3, 2012

Domain

Drama. Written and directed by Patric Chiha. With Beatrice Dalle, Isaie Sultan. In French, with English subtitles. (Not rated. 108 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)

With her formidable gait, pouty lips, intellectual prowess and dazzling sexual aura, Aunt Nadine would probably capture many a young nephew's fancy - even a gay one like Pierre.

That's the jumping-off point of "Domain," a nuanced character study that showcases the considerable acting chops of Beatrice Dalle ("Betty Blue"), who commands the screen from the first frame, when she hosts a late-night, outdoor drinking fest and babbles on about how mathematics - and not words - create order.

But it doesn't require a Ph.D. in calculus to figure out that this 40ish mathematician wouldn't be able to taste "order" if it were poured in her drink.

The film centers on the complex relationship between Aunt Nadine and Pierre (an outstanding Isaie Sultan) as the 17-year-old Pierre explores his homosexual feelings and Aunt Nadine continues an alcoholic-fueled descent.

Writer-director Patric Chiha directs the proceedings with incredible restraint, which works both for and against him. Yes, it allows the actors to shine with some subtle, quiet moments, and prevents things from going over the top, but somehow Aunt Nadine and restraint don't belong in the same sentence.

Indeed, the film becomes so coy about its sexual undertones that Aunt Nadine and Pierre seem straitjacketed at times, and hence the movie begins to drag in its midsection before its provocative finale.

But these characters will stay with you. It's yet another film that only the French can make.